America the Beautiful is a great song. The words from the third stanza:
thine alabaster cities gleam,
undimmed by human tears!
seem pretty amazing after 9/11.
"This Land is Your Land" is very much a counter-culture song that has been made bland by over-familiarity. It has to be heard in the context of a time when many people had no land to their name. My favorite verse is the one Arlo sings a lot:
As I was walkin' I saw a sign and on that sign said "No Trespassin'" But on the other side It didn't say nothin' That sign was made made for you and me.
I'd rather keep it away from national anthem status and keep it for us radicals where it should be! (half-joking)
BTW, did everyone hear about the settlement between the Guthrie estate and Jib-Jab? (More later and a link, if you don't know what I'm talking about. My wife is calling me!)
Mark D Lew wrote:
On Aug 29, 2004, at 8:54 AM, Chuck Israels wrote:
"America the Beautiful" for one - a lovely tune with a good "arch" of melody that still stays in a range that is easy to sing, offers good possibilities for harmony, and has non bellicose words; "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" - easy to sing, everyone knows it (if you need something militaristic); "This Land Is Your Land" - I know, too simple, and maybe even a simple minded idea, but still a good idea. Seriously, I think the first choice would suit me fine.
The Battle Hymn is not just militaristic, but also explicitly religious. I'm sure that would be a problem for many.
Personally, I don't think the Star-Spangled Banner is nearly so bad as others complain. I think both the text and the tune are fine; my only complaint is that the one is a bad fit for the other. But I'd be fine with AtB as anthem, too.
I love the Battle Hymn, by the way, mostly because the poetry is so gorgeous. I'm not fond of religious zealotry in real life, but that doesn't stop me from appreciating the song. My favorite line is probably the most religious of all. ("As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free" -- beautiful!) I wouldn't have survived 15 years in opera choruses if I had a problem with singing bellicose anthems....
mdl
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